Hassan Rouhani proposes referendum to heal Iran's divisions

Iranian president issues call for unity in speech to mark 39th anniversary of Islamic revolution

Hassan Rouhani has said too many people have been alienated by Iran’s ruling establishment and proposed holding a referendum in an attempt to heal divisions in a country recently struck by an outburst of public discontent.

In a speech to mark the 39th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution, the president called for unity and told thousands of flag-waving people at a rally: “When the revolution took place, we were all together and there were plenty of passengers on the train of the revolution; some of them wanted to get off the train themselves, and we got some of them off the train, whom we didn’t have to.”